The Ties That Bind Us
by Kio-chan - FallenAngel
Summary: As a demon hunter, Sasuke was raised believing that demons were foul, ill tempered beings that killed mercilessly. Well, that may be true for some… But when Sasuke meets a mysterious young man named Naruto, he begins to wonder. To question. To feel... So unlike a Uchiha should. Yaoi, Sakura bashing, Narusasu.
1. Chapter 1

Hi! I'm Kio-chan - FallenAngel, Kio-chan for short, and this is my first story on fanfiction. I'm super nervous but also super excited. This story will contain yaoi, so if you don't like then don't. Read. Simple as that. The main pairing will predominantly be narusasu with some minor pairings either mentioned or mixed in. Their will be some slight ooc and I'm sorry for that - it works for the story and was just how the story played out so read with an open mind. Constructive criticism is welcome and I'd love to hear your feedback on the first chapter! Good feedback means I'll update! No feedback or bad feedback means this story will get shoved someplace dark and never get read again. So read... Read for the sake of this story! No story wants to go unread!

Disclaimer: NONE of these characters are mine, all rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto. You rock man for making this series!

Enjoy!

* * *

The sun filtered through the leaves, landing on the forest floor and illuminating the normally dark forest. There was a groan as a man slowly sat up, wearing only orange pants and a tight fitting grey mesh shirt that showed his lightly muscled body. A black and orange jacket was tied around his waist. His hair was a vibrant yellow that stuck up wildly, sticking out against his tan skin. He sighed, running calloused fingers through his hair and keeping his eyes closed, sniffing the air. It smelled alive and fresh. Finally he opened his eyes, his iris flashing red before settling on a light, sky blue color.

He quickly took in his surroundings; the sun, the trees, and the birds that chirped every once in awhile. It all seemed so serene and tranquil. He smirked, clenching his hand into a fist and standing up before hopping up into the trees, swinging from branch to branch until he made it to the top, looking over the forest.

_"So… Is this what you wanted?"_

He nodded, "Yeah…" sky blue eyes focused on the town only a day's walk from here, "This is **exactly **what I wanted."

There was a deep chuckle, _"Good luck kit, you'll need it."_

The voice went quiet and he smiled, jumping down from the tree and breaking off into a run toward the village.

'I just can't wait! Look out Konoha, and be prepared for Uzamaki Naruto!'

Konoha was a village located at the base of a large cliff and surrounded by the Hidden Leaf forest. Carved into the cliffs were the faces of the founders of the village and the original demon hunters. The founders used their unique abilities to fight the demons that threatened the village and the lives of the people. These four men built a school which was used to train their children and grandchildren to face the demons after they'd passed on. It was a great honor to become a demon hunter, and everyone in the village was proud of what their children did and how they grew up to become one.

It was a normal day in Konoha, the streets busy and somewhat crowded with the end-of-the-day rush. A man with raven black hair emerged from the crowd. He was tall and handsome, with sharp grey eyes and pale skin. He wore a dark blue t-shirt with a red and white fan insignia on the back and white shorts. Bandages wrapped around his right arm, disappearing under his sleeve, and around his left leg and right foot and ankle – all injuries from his training. Normally he didn't like crowds and did everything he could to avoid them, but he wanted to get away from certain…people.

"SASUKE!"

He sighed in annoyance, his pink haired stalker closer than he originally thought she was. He could never understand why she liked him, or how she hadn't figured out that he didn't like her. How could he make it any more obvious? He avoided her like the plague, only talked to her when required (and even then he didn't say much), and only his pride as an Uchiha kept him from screaming at her to go away. With a heavy and irritated sigh he quickly scanned the crowded area. He spotted the gates of Konoha and sprinted toward them without a second thought – an escape route was an escape route, and he'd take whatever he could get. He waved to the bored looking guard before disappearing amongst the trees.

A girl with pink hair and bright green eyes burst from the crowd, looking around at all the people. She sighed, slumping forward as she headed back the way she came.

"Dang it… I could have sworn that he went this way…" she mumbled sadly, "I was hoping to catch up to him to see if he wanted to go get some ramen or something… Oh well…"

Sasuke finally slowed down when he was a good ways into the forest, leaning against a tree to catch his breath. Sweat beaded his brow, sticking his bangs to his forehead and causing them to fall into his line of sight, much to his annoyance. He brushed them aside as he straightened back up, feeling better after that quick breather. Finally he looked around, fully taking in where he was. He muttered a curse, glaring at the dark forest and mentally kicking himself.

He was in the middle of the Hidden Leaf forest, the forest that everyone warned you as a kid to **never** go in. Even though he was a demon hunter in training he was still not allowed in the forest without an older and more experienced demon hunter accompanying him. The forest was, from what he could remember, a form of portal for demons. Demons entered here from their hell and attacked those that wandered off the path – people like him, he thought with a groan. Mainly smaller demons lived here now, picking on mortals that ventured out at night when the seals protecting the forest path were weakened by the moon. But that was it, nothing for the hokage – the leader of their village – to worry about. The last great demon had died almost a hundred years ago by the hands of the first demon hunter.

Sasuke sighed, great. This was just what he needed. How had he not realized that he'd gone this deep into the forest? He grabbed the talisman that hung around his neck, a simple red circle with three black comas around a small black stone. His older brother had given it to him to keep him safe from demons. He wondered if it'd be enough before quickly shooing the thoughts away and scowling. He needed to get back before nightfall, while it was still daylight out. That was the first thing he needed to worry about, not about demons and whether or not they'd come.

With that in mind he headed back the way he came, hands in his pockets, and walking with a slight slouch. But even though he kept a calm façade it didn't stop his mind to wander every once in awhile, to worry about what would happen to him, if he'd make it home, if he'd ever see his annoying brother again, or if there were any demons out there, or…

_SNAP_

Sasuke jumped, eyes widening as he whirled around. The calm look faded away, replaced by one of panic, before finally calming and turning into a scowl when he saw the rabbit that dashed past him.

'Damn it Sasuke… You need to get a grip and calm down.' He thought, scolding himself, before continuing back the way he was heading. 'Besides, if I had been in danger then I could have taken care of myself.' He mused, smiling a bit as he walked, 'after all, I **am** a Uchiha, and Uchihas don't lose control like that.'

That was when he heard a crack and a growl, the smell of decaying flesh falling over him like a blanket. Before he could even react to the stench there was a roar as something sharp sliced into his back. He cried out, body being thrown into a nearby tree by the force of the attack where he grunted in pain and fell to the ground. His lower back hurt - a sharp searing pain that turned his vision white. He coughed, his chest hurting from where he hit the tree, and he barely noticed the dark blood staining the ground where he coughed.

"Shit…" he groaned, trying to stand up. How the **hell **had he not noticed the demon sooner? His back and chest hurt and he couldn't help but wonder if his collision with the tree had broken a rib or two. He cringed at the thought.

Sasuke shifted enough so that he could look over at the thing that attacked him. The demon was large, with a body coated in something like black and blue fire. It had a human shape, despite the fire that covered its massive body. Its long arms hung to the ground, foot long claws dragging as it walked and dripping with blood. The demon had a massive jaw, which was open for him to see the jagged yellow teeth inside. He wasn't entirely sure what this demon was. Sasuke shivered at the thought as he watched the demon moved its head around, sniffing at the ground as if it was searching…

Sasuke's eyes widened, **it couldn't see**.

The revelation made him smirk and he began moving slowly so that he was sitting up, wincing with each small movement. He stopped, trying to calm his rapid breathing from the pain that just sitting up had caused while the demon was moving closer to him, its body hunched forward and its head close to the ground making a wet snuffling sound.

'It's like a dog…' he thought, scooting a bit farther back from it. He winced again, his back brushing against the rough bark of the tree and his head spinning. 'Damn it, I'm going to end up fainting before I can even do anything.'

The demon stopped, body shivering before its face turned toward Sasuke, mouth forming a smirk as it roared. His skin paled as he saw the demon's head turn toward him, moving with a speed he didn't think the beast was capable of. He closed his eyes, trying to think of something that could help him. But at the moment, nothing helpful came to his mind, it was just blank. The only thing that did cross his mind was that this was all Sakura's fault (hey, he needed someone to blame. And saying it was his fault was against what he believed in. He had his pride as an Uchiha to uphold, even if he was going to die). He groaned and opened his eyes, ready to accept his fate. That was when he noticed the man running right toward the demon, blonde hair whipping wildly as he ran. Sasukes eyes widened, watching as a small, glowing blue orb appeared in his hand as he jumped onto the demon, slamming it into the demons back. There was a pained roar as the black, fire-like substance moved to consume the man on its back, trying to push him off. The orb glowed brighter before disappearing amongst the darkness, the flames disappearing to reveal black, charred skin. The demon made an odd, gurgling sound before falling to the ground, slowly disintegrating and fading away.

When he jumped off, Sasuke saw how the man's hair had appeared wild while running was actually like that normally - untamed and sticking up in blonde spikes. His eyes were a sky blue, filled with concern as he looked at Sasuke. Odd, whisker-like markings were on his cheeks that Sasuke couldn't help staring at. Were they scars?

Sasuke turned his attention back to the man's eyes, eyes narrowed in confusion. Who was he?

The man smiled, walking over and kneeling down in front of him. Sasuke was finding it harder and harder to keep his eyes open.

"Hey, you alright man? How bad did that thing hurt you?"

In answer Sasuke fainted, falling into the man's arms.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you some much to everyone who reviewed for chapter 1! It's because of you darlings that chapter 2 is even being posted... So, to everyone who took the time to read my story **and** review, this one goes out to you. I hope you like it :D

Disclaimer: sadly, i do not anything.

* * *

There was a beeping, an insistent and annoying beeping that filtered through to the depth of Sasuke's conscious, rousing him from his sleep. He groaned, wondering why his alarm clock was going off. Wasn't it Sunday? He opened his eyes, the dim room with its simple white walls making his eyes widen. Where the hell was he?

He quickly sat up and gasped, falling back onto the bed with a groan. Pain, why did his chest hurt? That was when everything that had happened came rushing back to him in a blur of memories.

'That damn demon.' he cursed, mind wandering back to the blonde that had saved him. 'Wonder if he brought me here…' He briefly wondered, looking around the room again.

Simple and white, like most hospital rooms, with a tan curtain pulled partially around him for privacy. A window was to his right, spanning the entire length of the wall. Outside it was completely black making him wonder what time it was. There was a simple white folding chair beside his bed and a nightstand, but other than that that was all that was in his part of the room. He looked over at the curtain, the beeping still continuing. He sighed in annoyance, realizing there must be another person in the room.

'So that's where the beeping is coming from…'

There was a click as the door opened, the curtain hiding who was coming in. Wild blonde hair was the first thing he saw then the man's large smile when he saw Sasuke.

"Hey, you're awake!" he exclaimed, pulling the chair by the bed out and flopping into it.

Sasuke just stared. He'd never really gotten a good look at him before, but now that he did look at him, he realized that the man was handsome. His cheeks turned a light shade of pink – barely noticeable – at the thought and he quickly tried to focus on something else. He saw bright orange and focused on that. He still wore the same clothes he'd first seen him in, but now he had his jacket on, which was black and orange. Everything about him, even his personality, just screamed…bright.

"Hey…you alright?" he asked, looking a little worried.

Naruto's voice jolted the young man from his reverie before he cleared his throat, nodding a bit, "Yeah… Just a bit tired I guess… Who are you?"

"Oh yeah!" the blonde exclaimed, holding his hand out to Sasuke with a large smile, "My name's Uzamaki Naruto."

"Hn, Uchiha Sasuke," he answered, shaking the blondes hand. It was rough and calloused, like his own hands.

"Yeah, I know. The nurses told me who you were," he said, still smiling. "But when they said you had no one to stay with you, because your brother was away on a mission, I couldn't just leave you…" His smile faltered a bit before coming back full force, beaming at him, "So I decided to stay with you! That way when you woke up you wouldn't be alone."

Sasuke scoffed, rolling his eyes at how he was acting, 'wow… This guy's even more energetic than Kiba – and that's saying something. He looks to about the same age too, but… What's with him?'

"So how long have I been out?"

"About eight hours, the healers had to mess with the wound on your back. Those cuts were big and deep and they said that you bruised a couple ribs too… They also said that you had some internal bleeding, but not enough to worry about. I'm not even sure how they treated that, everything was just so confusing with the way they put it." He laughed quietly, smiling a bit.

Sasuke nodded and they both sat in a somewhat awkward silence, which Naruto decided to fill by humming. Sasuke let his mind wander, the blonde – though somewhat annoying – had an interesting way of putting things, and he found he could actually tolerate his presence. This was a bit of a shock, since there were few people that he could actually stand, and even they got on his nerves sometimes.

"Hey…" he said, getting the blondes attention instantly, "what'd you do back there?"

"Hm? What do you mean?" he looked over at him curiously.

"That…move you did that killed the demon."

"Oh. That technique…" He rubbed the back of his head, looking away as he thought. "It's a technique my master taught me called rasengan. It channels your energy into a ball that you can use to attack. Those things hate it because it's light energy, and it normally kills them if you get a direct hit. The only downside is that it takes a few seconds to make it, and it's a two handed technique which makes it a bit difficult. There's a few other setbacks to using it, but they're nothing that serious for me."

"Hn. I've heard of that, though I've never seen someone actually use it."

Naruto nodded his head excitedly, smiling at Sasuke. "Jiraya-sama was a good teacher, though a pervert. He had a hard time focusing on training when there were women around... Damn him and his pervyness" He made a face at that and Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle softly, smiling a bit.

Wait…why was he smiling? Uchihas don't smile. They smirk, they scoff, they scowl, and they glare, but never smile. So why was he smiling now? Was it because of this blonde, who was a complete stranger to him until today? He sighed, not really caring at the moment and unable to really focus on his jumbled thoughts. He was tired and his body was still sore, demanding he get some sleep. But the blonde had started talking and, even though he wanted to sleep, he found himself holding on to everything Naruto said, listening to the wild stories of him and his master. He had to admit, some of them were funny while others did bring about his trademark scowl, almost too stupid to be believed.

After awhile Sasuke had started to drift off and, not long after, had fallen asleep.

Naruto watched Sasuke sleep, his own eyelids starting to droop. It had been a long day for both of them and he'd barely slept a wink since coming here. Slowly, darkness claimed his vision and his head fell forward…

_He heard a deep chuckle, and, when he opened his eyes, all he could make out was red. He blinked, lost for a moment, before feeling the warmth that resonated from the tail that was wrapped around him. There was another chuckle and his eyes settled on the large fox laid down next to him, black lips pulled back in what he assumed was a grin, revealing the fox's large and sharp teeth. The rest of the fox's tails were splayed out behind the massive creature. A voice, deep yet comforting to the blonde, could be heard from the fox._

_"I think kits taken an interest in the Uchiha."_

_Naruto rolled his eyes, trying to hide his blush as he pulled away from the fox's comforting embrace. "Yeah, sure. I just met the guy Kyu, how could I like him?"_

_Kyuubi sat up, looking down at Naruto with his lips pulled back in a huge grin. It was a horrendous sight that, if Naruto wasn't used to it, probably would have scared him, "Kit, I'm always sure of these things. Besides, I live in your mind after all. There's some things that I'm bound to catch on to."_

_"The way you say that sounds somewhat creepy Kyu," Naruto said, chuckling a bit as he hopped up to stand on the fox's snout with a smirk. He leaned forward, arms crossed over his chest as he gave him a curious, yet teasing, look, "you doing things I should be worried about in here?"_

_Kyuubi chuckled, making Naruto's smirk turn into a large smile, "Trust me kit, I've done nothing that you need to worry about."_

_Naruto glared, though there was nothing behind it, only a smile that made the large fox smile back, "Glad to hear it, kyu…"_

_He sat down on Kyuubi's snout as Kyuubi laid down once more, Naruto feeling quite comfortable with the gentle warmth the fox emitted. He closed his eyes, feeling quite relaxed when a curious and familiar voice called out loudly._

**_"Naruto?"_**

_Kyuubi chuckled, eyes closed as he spoke, "I think your friends calling you, you better go to him."_

_Naruto nodded, affectionately rubbing the fox's' snout before everything began to fade away…_

Naruto awoke to Sasuke's steely grey eyes watching him, his expression stoic.

'He doesn't show much emotion,' Naruto noticed, smiling a bit as he yawned, stretching his arms.

"Morning Sasuke, how long have you been up?" he asked, smiling a bit more.

"Not long, and it's not morning dobe, it's almost noon."

Naruto narrowed his eyes a bit, 'Did he just call me dobe?'

There was a chuckle, _"Seems like the Uchiha has insulted you, Kit."_

'I've noticed, so shut up Kyu.'

Sasuke frowned a bit, watching as Naruto sat there glaring at the floor. It was odd to watch the young and oddly expressive man go from responsive to this. What was he thinking? Did what he said hurt his feelings or was it something else? Sasuke stopped thinking right at that, his trademark scowl appearing once more. He didn't care if he'd insulted him - he insulted people on a regular basis so it didn't matter if he insulted Naruto.

"Hey, teme," Sasuke looked at Naruto when the blonde addressed him and raised a brow in question, "How are you feeling?"

"Better… I'm no longer sore." He stretched his arms for good measure, though he was stiff they were healing just fine. "And I can move."

Naruto's smile grew to the point that he was beaming, and Sasuke couldn't help smiling back – the blonde's smile being positively contagious.

"If you're feeling better then we should go do something!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "And what would we do dobe?"

Naruto stuck his tongue out at that, "I was thinking about going to get something to eat. Hospital food just **stinks**."

He had to stop himself from rolling his eyes again, but smiled a bit at the blonde, "Sure, why not?"

"Awesome!" Naruto shouted, throwing a fist in the air before hopping to his feet, "I'll be right back with a nurse so we can get out of here!" With that he was gone before Sasuke could say anything else.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, relaxing in the bed as he waited for the blonde to come back. He had to admit though; he kind of liked the blonde.

After the discharge papers were signed and Sasuke was allowed to get some clothes from his house, they went out to get something to eat. Naruto had been oddly quiet, looking at all the restaurants that surrounded them with awe.

Sasuke glanced over at Naurto, "What do you want?"

"Is there any place that sells ramen?" Naruto asked, looking at Sasuke with a hopeful expression.

"You want ramen?" Sasuke asked, smirking a bit, "That's not good for you."

He glared at Sasuke, "Not good for you? Ramen is the best thing in the world! It's the food of kings and royalty!"

'He looks so serious…' Sasuke thought, before laughing at the blonde.

"Hey, what's so funny teme?!" Naruto growled, still glaring.

"Nothing dobe, let's just go get you your ramen," he said, chuckling a bit.

Naruto instantly perked up, following Sasuke excitedly.

They walked over to Ichiruka's, sitting down in one of the empty booths and placed their orders. Naruto looked happy, which made Sasuke think things were going good. No matter who you are, it's always when you think such things that life takes a major turn downhill. It's the equivalent of thinking 'things possibly couldn't get any worse' and discovering 'hey, they still can'. Of all people, Sasuke should have understood that for it was at that moment that a flash of pink appeared and, before he could even react, said pink haired girl had scooted in next to him, smiling brightly.

'This girl…' he thought, growling at the annoying girl's attachment to him…literally. At that moment her arms were wrapped around one of his, talking animatedly about god knows what. He could care less and honestly wasn't paying attention.

He looked up to see Naruto staring at the two of them, an interesting mix of emotions dancing in his sky blue eyes. He saw curiosity, annoyance, anger, and…jealously? Sasuke wasn't sure, but he could tell that the blonde was just as annoyed as Sasuke with the pink haired girl's sudden interruption. She stopped talking, finally noticing the blonde that sat across from them.

Her green eyes narrowed as she looked him over, before finally sneering, "Who the heck are you?" She looked over at Sasuke, and then at Naruto, now a curious look on her face, "And what are you doing with Sasuke-kun?"

Naruto forced a smile, though he was ready to punch the girl. "My names Uzamaki Naruto," he had to force out the words, practically growling with how annoyed he was.

There was a bark of laughter in his head, _"Calm down kit, she may like the Uchiha, but it seems more like obsession to me. Besides, it doesn't even look like the Uchiha likes it. Actually, it looks like he's suffering… This is just priceless!"_

'Shut up kyu! And I don't care if he doesn't like it! Sasuke is still letting her do this to him! What right does she have to be all over him like that!?'

Kyubbi chuckled, _"This coming from the kid who said, and I quote, 'I just met him' and 'how could I like him?' Am I correct kit?"_

'…Shut up…'

Kyuubi did just that, and Naurto barely heard the girl say, "Haruno Sakura, it's a pleasure," in her sickly sweet voice.

Naruto nodded, cringing at the high pitch as he forced a smile back on his face. Sasuke spoke up, saving him from saying anything. If he did, then he wouldn't be able to help what **exactly **he said, which he was pretty certain would not be nice, "I'm sorry to say, but you interrupted Naruto and I while we were getting ready to eat."

Sakura pouted and looked up at him, "But Sasuke-kun… You never take me out to eat! What makes…" she looked over at Naruto and turned her nose up at him. Naruto clenched his fists, finding it hard to keep his emotions in check, "**him** so special? I've never even seen him before!"

Sasuke sighed, forcing himself to not rub his temples in frustration. How could she be so naïve? "As a matter of fact, Naruto is new here. I just ran into him the other day after he saved me from a bit of trouble I had in the forest." He cringed a bit when he heard her gasp and look up at him in shock, why'd he have to say that?

"Wh-what happend!" she gasped.

"It was nothing big, just a small bit of trouble with a demon which Naruto saved me from. So now I'm showing Naruto around, and I'm sorry to say this, but you're interrupting us and I'd like it if you left."

Sakura pulled away a bit, looking over at Naruto before looking up at Sasuke, a slightly hurt look on her face. She quickly hid the look, forcing a smile before standing up and bowing.

"I-I'm sorry for interrupting you Sasuke-kun," she turned to Naruto, bowing, "It was nice meeting you Naruto-kun."

After that she left, Sasuke breathing out a sigh of relief as he laid his head in his hands. Naruto groaned, slumping back in his seat, "God that chick was annoying."

Sasuke chuckled, nodding his head in agreement, "Hn, I know. She's quite the little stalker too – I'm always running into her and she's always asking if I'll go out with her."

Naruto rolled his eyes, "She sounds insane."

"She **is **insane," Sasuke corrected, sitting back up.

Naruto chuckled a bit, though that soon stopped when he smelled the ramen that was soon brought to their table by the owner of the restraunt. He happily dug in and Sasuke couldn't help but smile, watching the dobe for a moment before beginning to eat his own bowl of ramen.

Outside, Sakura walked down the street, glaring at the ground as she thought. She loved Sasuke, and she knew that he had to love her back, he just **had **to. After all, everyone knew they were destined to be together, it was already the talk of the town. Not even Ino-pig could disagree. She smiled, green eyes sparkling devilishly. No one, not even this Naruto would stop her love for Sasuke. She'd get him so that Sasuke was all hers, no matter what the cost.

* * *

"Lord Shukaku?" the man called, voice soft and his head bowed in respect for the young man before him. He was draped in a cloak made of shadows, shifting constantly though he never moved from his bowed position. They were in a large office, book shelves filled with heavy tomes and scrolls as well as filing cabinets marked with odd symbols lining the walls. Every other available wall spaced was covered in maps and black and white pictures with writing scrawled on them in purple ink. The desk the teen sat at was made of a black, reflective stone – massive, and the edges rough though the top was smooth. Papers, quills, and books were set on the desk in neat rows and piles, an oil lamp resting on the corner and illuminating the dim room. The only other light came from the brazier that was set in the center of the room, producing the soothing smell of incense from the dully glowing coals.

The teen had been writing when the man called his name and he irritably set the acid green quill down to turn mint green eyes on the man before him. Lord Shukaku, informally known as Gaara, was a handsome yet stern looking young man appearing to be about eighteen years old. His bright red hair was in stark comparison to his unearthly pale skin, and the dark rings around his eyes made his eyes appear sunken in and the color darker. The Japanese symbol for love was tattooed above his left eye in thin red ink – it was something many people wondered about but never asked. Despite his young appearance he was far older than he seemed and exuded a strong and powerful aura that had the man before him trembling in fear. Finally he turned his attention to the man. "Well? Has your search brought forth any new information?"

Gaara's eyes narrowed when he noticed the man hesitate before answering. "Our task forces have yet to retrieve the prince. According to the sentries there has been no news on his whereabouts, or where exactly he exited. Though they did find what appeared to be a trail of demon energy leading from the Hidden Leaf Forest close to Konoha."

At these words the teen's eyes widened with hope. "Was it his energy…?"

The man shivered under the teens hopeful stare and he sighed – he hated being the one to give bad news. "We…don't know, my lord… The task force was unable to confirm that, stating that the energy could have just been caused by a hunter destroying a shadow. Although they could not give a definite answer on that either…"

The hopeful look in Gaara's eyes quickly died, replaced by a dark scowl. "This search has been going on for nearly twenty-four hours, yet your team has yet to give me or the council any valuable information regarding the prince or his whereabouts. If who he is were to get out that would draw out another demon-human war, and since he is the last of the Fire's bloodline we cannot afford him becoming stuck in the middle of that. Understood?"

The man nodded, "Yes, Lord Shukaku."

The teen was quiet for a moment, staring at the black stone table before quietly asking, "Do we know if **he** emerged when the prince left?"

The man flinched, unable to meet the teen's icy stare as he whispered, "We are not yet sure of that either, my lord… There was a sign of his aura, red and black, from when the prince opened a portal, but it was mainly the prince's aura."

Gaara grit his teeth, but nodded, "If that is all you have to report then you are excused."

He swiftly stood up, the shadows shifting wildly around him as he moved, "Yes, my lord. Is there anything else you require?"

"No, that is all." He said through gritted teeth, sending him off with a wave of his hand.

The man left without a word, the door closing softly behind him. Gaara let out a heavy sigh, his eyes drooping shut as he relaxed in the chair and began rubbing his head in frustration. He stayed that way for a few moments, attempting to work out the oncoming headache before finally forcing himself to stand up. This meeting only proved what he already knew – he couldn't trust the task force with something this important. He had to take the law into his own hands now if they were ever going to find the prince.

As he walked around his desk he picked up a purple feathered quill and parchment, writing a quick note in elaborate, cursive handwriting before using the tip of the quill to prick his thumb. Blood welled up from the small cut, beginning to run. It was odd though – it ran thicker than what normal blood would and was a dark red, almost black. Using the blood, he swiped a symbol on the parchment before bringing the bleeding thumb to his lips, licking the blood away. The symbol darkened, turning a silvery blue before fading along with the note as the parchment burned and crumpled, disappearing in a pile of ash. The smell of sulfur rose from the ashes; overpowering the incense and making him flinch in disgust. He hated the stench, and it lingered for sometime after the blood spell was invoked, but it was the quickest way to summon someone at this ungodly hour.

Gaara spared a quick glance at the door, hoping his love wouldn't awake and come barging in. The man hated being woken up early with a passion and a cranky, sleep deprived demon husband was not something he wanted to deal with right now. The teen leaned against the desk, stifling a yawn. At the moment he wore a tight fitting maroon colored outfit with deep burgundy trimming. A white strip wrapped around his abdomen, light grey swirls decorating the white. He didn't really want to greet the great Copycat Demon in his pajamas, but damn it he needed to speak with him and with what time it was, he could forgive him for his lack of formality.

There was a soft chuckle as the smoke above the brazier darkened, taking shape and forming the silhouette of a tall, thin man. The silhouette possessed a large mass of oddly spiked hair, red slits taking the place of where you'd normally see eyes.

"And what does the mighty Gaara, Shukaku of the Sand, need from this old anbu. It's quite late you know."

Gaara glared, taking a deep, calming breath before talking, "Keep quiet and listen. The prince has gone missing."

The silhouette visibly stiffened, red slits widening as it looked at him in what Gaara assumed was surprise, "The prince? When did this happen?"

"Exactly eighteen and a half hours ago the prince's guards were found unconscious in his bed chamber – bruised and dazed, but otherwise alright. There was a faint smudge of red and black mixed in with the gold of his aura, suggesting that he relied upon **him** for aid. By how old the aura is, we were able to determine when he left but once he reached the human world his aura supposedly disappeared."

The silhouette shook its head, "This is not the kind of news I wanted to wake up to."

Gaara gave him a small, sad smile in understanding, "The council has applied for the aid of the task force in this mission, which is odd by itself. I cannot let our prince's fate lie in their hands. They'll get cocky, and with the hunters living so close to the Hidden Leaf forest we cannot allow that. That is why I'd like you to return to the human world to find our prince. Not only are you a pure blood, but also a member of the anbu. I trust your group, you especially."

"That is an awfully big request… Though I do agree with you, the task force is a sketchy group to say the least. That the council would trust them with this mission is, as you said, odd." The silhouette shrugged, though his eyes were narrowed, "Either way, I accept this task. If it means getting the prince back, then I don't see how I couldn't."

Gaara nodded, forcing back another yawn as he waved his hand toward the silhouette, "Go and prepare for the journey. I expect you to begin the search as soon as possible. And be discrete."

There was humor in the red slits as the dark grey silhouette began to fade, "Don't worry Lord Gaara, I'll bring the prince back. If I run into trouble I'll send a blood spell. Let's hope it doesn't come to that though…"

The silhouette faded completely, the lingering stench of sulfur the only clue as to what transpired. He sighed, moving around the desk to sit in the chair where he slumped down into the worn cushions, closing his eyes. He waited, willing sleep to come. It would be so easy to waste the day away with sleep and worry about what would happen next when he woke up. But when he closed his eyes, sleep seemed to be miles away from his reach despite how tired he felt. With a groan of annoyance he sat back up, grabbing his quill. He had a feeling this was going to be a long day.

* * *

AND THE PLOT THICKENS! ... Sorry... Couldn't help myself XD

Alright, folks. That's a wrap on chapter 2 of the ties that bind us. We're finally seeing the beginnings of a deeper plot forming... But where will it lead? Hopefully we'll find out in chapter 3!

A quick announcement to all those who care... I'm going to try to post every Thursday, but college is rough... And so's writers block. Both of these annoying things might get in the way, so if I don't post on time... Blame these nuisances. And remember! Reviews means more chapters... So review!


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